Preparing for the Thaw…How to Be Ready When the Airline Hiring Freeze Ends

There is a phrase in the airline industry that seems to perfectly capture the history of the airline pilot hiring cycle: “Hire until you furlough, then furlough until you hire.” Well, here we are again…sort of. We are definitely in a pilot hiring slow down compared to the unprecedented hiring wave that took place leading into (2016-2020) and out of (2022-2023) the COVID pandemic.  However, historically speaking, this industry downturn looks more like a speedbump in the road than a full road block.  That’s probably not much comfort to you if you’re one of the pilots who recently received a furlough notice.

Aero Crew News, published by Aero Crew Solutions (www.aerocrewsolutions.com/), recently featured an article titled, “Is the Pilot Shortage Real?” The article references a Fortune Magazine interview with David Neelman, founder of JetBlue Airlines and current founder/CEO of Breeze Airlines.  Mr. Neelman was asked if he thought there was a pilot shortage in the airline industry.  Neelman responded that he thought there was no longer a pilot shortage but rather a captain shortage. According to Neelman, recent pilot contract improvements have narrowed the gap between first officer pay and captain pay. The industry as a whole has attracted more entry level first officers (FOs), however, many FOs are choosing to bypass captain upgrade in favor of pay rates that can exceed $300K annually as a senior wide body FO, while retaining better schedules and domiciles with some right seat seniority.

So, what does this mean to the future of airline pilot hiring?  While the future of the airline industry is far from certain, all indications seem to point toward measured growth at most major airlines due to an uncertain economic outlook coupled with increased passenger demand. However, due to the number of new entry level pilots attracted to the industry in recent years by very lucrative new pilot contracts, and slower hiring at most major airlines, the competition just got a lot harder.  In order to adequately prepare for the hiring thaw, you will need to do all that you can now, during the slow down, to help your application/résumé standout from your peers so you can be at the front of the line to receive an interview when hiring resumes.

 This article is basically a refresh of a previous article I wrote several years ago. You can go back and read the full article titled, “Getting a Job is a Full Time Job,” available at www.cockpit2cockpit.com/blog.  The title also happens to be the major theme of my first book, Cockpit to Cockpit. The last several years in the airline industry have been a boom for pilot hiring. We saw some unprecedented industry trends including hiring many zero-PIC turbine time pilots into the right seat at major airlines.  Unfortunately, the recent pilot hiring slow-down has put the brakes on the, “ATP minimums and you can fog a mirror” hiring spree. Pilots hoping to get hired in the next several years are going to have to go back to the tried and true principles of hard work, flying your ass off, and making yourself a more valuable new-hire candidate than your peers.  So how do you do that? Use this time, when hiring is slow to non-existent, to improve your application and résumé. Here are few suggestions of things you can be doing now, to improve your chances of an interview later.

1. Letters of Recommendation: Start working on Letters of Recommendation (LORs) to the airlines you intend to apply to. All airlines will want to see some “quality” LORs with your application and/or interview. What do I mean by “quality” LORs?  Generally speaking, the best LORs to get are from people within the company you are applying to (i.e., internal recommendations), who know you very well and have flown with you often. They should be able to speak to not only your flying skills, but also your work ethic and personality on duty and off duty. I would give an LOR that meets all the aforementioned criteria a score of ten on a scale of one to ten, ten being the best. That doesn’t mean that you should turn down a recommendation letter from someone within the company you are applying to who doesn’t know you all that well. An LOR with a quality score of three is better than no LOR at all. 

Some airlines are bigger on this than others in terms of how many letters you need. There is no magic number, but in general I would say to strive for at least five LORs for each airline you apply to.  Cockpit to Cockpit has an entire section dedicated to how to write a quality draft LOR and the finer etiquette of requesting LORs from your airline buddies.

2. Check More Application Boxes: Those of you coming from the military aviation community will probably hate this next piece of advice but you need to check more boxes than the next guy/gal.  I know you’re looking forward to making it over to the airlines soon, and I promise you, once you’re hired you can stop striving to check more boxes…but in the mean time, check as many boxes as possible on your application. Each box you can check will add more points to your application score. Some may not seem like they apply to you, but they do. For instance, the certificates-and-ratings section of the application may ask if you have an English Proficiency associated with your ATP. Of course you do; it says so right on the back of your license.

There may be a question on the application that asks if you have ever been a check airman. If you have been an evaluator in your aircraft, then answer yes! Obviously you don’t want to lie about anything, but if you can easily defend why you checked a box on your application during the interview, then by all means check that box! It’s better to be sitting in the interview explaining why you checked the box than to not be at the interview at all, right?

There are also a lot of boxes you can check by getting certain civilian flight ratings via the FAA Military Competency Test (MCT). Even if you never plan to do any civilian flight instructing, if you have ever been an instructor in a military aircraft, then you might as well get your CFII certificate just by taking the FAA Military Competency Test. Other ratings available via the MCT include Commercial/Instrument pilot, and Airplane Multi Engine Land (AMEL). A great resource to learn more about the FAA MCT program is Sheppard Air (sheppardair.com/milcomp.htm).  There is also a great article on this subject written by airline pilot and author Jason Depew, available to members of BogiDope on their website www.bogidope.com.

Another easy square to fill on an airline application is the tail-wheel endorsement. You can go to just about any local airport and get a tail-wheel endorsement added to your logbook with as few as three to five hours of flight instruction. Remember, every square you fill adds points to your application. Other ratings that will add points to your application/résumé include multi-engine instructor (MEI), airplane single/multi engine sea (ASES/AMES), rotary, glider, and even balloon pilot.

3. Volunteer Work/Community Service: A great technique to differentiate yourself from other candidates is to get involved in some volunteer work. We all have a cause that we care about, so this is a win-win-win for you, your community, and the airlines you’re applying to. You get to donate your personal time, training, and resources to a good cause while enhancing your résumé / application at the same time. If you can show that you enjoy doing things that are not just about yourself, things that give back to the community, or that you are passionate about a good cause or volunteering with your church, mosque, synagogue, and so on, it indicates to the airlines that you are a person of high moral character. Additionally, it shows the airline that you are more than just a pilot, you’re a person who other pilots might enjoy spending a 3-6 day trip with. This will definitely help you stand out from other applicants.

If you are passionate about aerospace education, you might consider joining Young Eagles or Civil Air Patrol. If you love animals, volunteer with the Humane Society. Maybe helping those who are less fortunate is your calling in which case you could volunteer with the Salvation Army or any number of food banks, or homeless shelters. Speaking of homeless, why not help build some homes with Habitat for Humanity? These are just a few of literally thousands of volunteer opportunities available out there. Giving back will make you feel good about yourself and give you some great bullets for the résumé / application…not to mention some great interview stories you can tell given the right interview set up question.

Volunteering your time and effort looks good, but holding a leadership role in a volunteer organization looks amazing on paper and shows the airline that your truly passionate about the cause. It will also add points to your leadership profile; and that’s a big part of your overall application score.

4. Obtain an Advanced Academic Degree: This one is a huge differentiator when airline hiring is slow. Airlines value higher education for several reasons.  First it shows that you are not afraid of hard work. An advanced degree is also a strong indicator of your ability to successfully complete a demanding course involving rigorous academics, self-study, and a high workload over a short time period….i.e. airline pilot qualification training.

If you don’t yet have a bachelor degree, go get it! If you already have a bachelor degree, start working on that master degree.  There are several online programs if time is an issue and some or less demanding than others if you know what I’m saying.

Money can also be an obstacle, but there are ways around that.  If you’re a veteran, you’re probably eligible for the GI Bill.  If not, look into scholarships, or even bank loans if necessary. You will easily be able to repay a school loan in your first year or two at a major airline.  Think of this as an investment in your future.  Even a five or six digit loan now, is well worth it to get your foot in the door at a major airline where you will almost certainly earn multiple millions of dollars over your pilot career given the new airline contract pay and benefits at major airlines.

5. Become a More Valuable Employee: As I mentioned earlier in this article, the airline industry has a captain shortage. A captain is more than just a pilot, he or she is also a leader and a manager. The airlines are looking to hire future captains to replace the experience they are losing as more senior pilots reach retirement age.

You will definitely increase your chances of getting an interview by being more than just a pilot at your current airline or job.  Some titles that you may consider applying for include chief pilot/assistant chief pilot, academic instructor, simulator instructor, safety program manager, recruiter, and check airman. This shows your prospective employer that you provide tremendous value to your current employer and you’re someone who is likely to pitch in and do more than just fly the plane at your new airline. There are many more options, so be on the lookout for opportunities to stand out on paper and in the interview!

The big takeaway here is that when pilot hiring slows down, the competition gets harder. You want to be the pilot who stays laser focused on the goal of becoming a major airline pilot. The one who will be ready when hiring resumes and the one who gets the best seniority number in the next round of hiring. You can expect the results of your job search to be a direct reflection of the amount of preparation and effort you put into it. Some of you may be putting a ton of effort in already and still not be seeing any results. Don’t give up! By adopting the philosophy that getting a job is a full-time job, you will learn to turn those negative mental stressors into productivity that will produce results. Keep moving the ball forward every day! When you finally get the interview invite that results in a conditional job offer, you will look back on your efforts with pride and know that they were all worth every ounce of blood, sweat and tears (hopefully mostly just sweat and tears). The advice in this article is just a small sample of the techniques and information contained in Cockpit to Cockpit. For more information, visit www.cockpit2cockpit.com.